Spider-Man (DVD)

...he secretly loves, in danger. Spider-Man steps up to the mark and takes on this evil nemesis.


►►► Opinion

Whilst I won't claim to be an aficionado on Spider-Man, or any other comic book super hero for that matter, out of all these champions of justice which I grew up with, Spider-Man was always my favourite. Although Superman could fly and Batman had the coolest gadgets, Spider-Man could climb, ...
...Being the first live action Spider-Man film that I can remember it is no surprise that they decided to start at the beginning covering the way in which Peter Parker miraculously gets his amazing powers. This intro is brilliant for anyone who is unfamiliar with the comics as whilst moving at quite a pace it delivers enough information that you understand how and why Peter parker is suddenly able to climb buildings and swing from roof top to roof top. ... more

►►► Synopsis

When Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is bitten by a genetically enhanced spider, whilst on a school field trip, he suddenly develops some surprising abilities which include climbing buildings and spinning webs. But it is not until a family disaster strikes that he decides to use his new found abilities for the good of all and sets about fighting crime under the alias of Spider-Man. When the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) starts wreaking havoc through out New York and puts Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), Peter's neighbour and the girl he secretly loves, in danger. Spider-Man steps up to the mark and takes on this evil nemesis.

►►► Opinion

Whilst I won't claim to be an aficionado on Spider-Man, or any other comic book super hero for that matter, out of all these champions of justice which I grew up with, Spider-Man was always my favourite. Although Superman could fly and Batman had the coolest gadgets, Spider-Man could climb, swing, and jump, some might even say he was the inspiration behind Parkour, free running to you and me. So when back in 2002 a big budget film was made all about my childhood super hero, I eagerly waited to be entertained and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

What is quite surprising about "Spider-Man" is that it has a hugely detailed storyline, and although heavily laden with wonderfully shot action sequences and special effects, it never strays from focussing on the plot. Being the first live action Spider-Man film that I can remember it is no surprise that they decided to start at the beginning covering the way in which Peter Parker miraculously gets his amazing powers. This intro is brilliant for anyone who is unfamiliar with the comics as whilst moving at quite a pace it delivers enough information that you understand how and why Peter parker is suddenly able to climb buildings and swing from roof top to roof top. The actual scenes where he discovers these abilities are both funny as well as clever and whilst I cannot say how true these are to the comic books I am lead to believe that they have managed to cram several issues of the comic into to just the first half hour of the film. As well as teaching us all about his special abilities, the film also sets up other elements which are hugely important to the rest of the film. We are introduced to his Uncle and Aunt who he lives with as well as Mary Jane his next door neighbour who he secretly loves. Both these elements are extremely important to later storylines as is his relationship with Harry Osborn a rich kid who is his best friend at school.

Following on from this brilliant introduction to Peter Parker the film continues with the recap by showing us why and how he became the crime fighting vigilante Spider-Man. Again as in the first half hour, the director has managed to mix factual information from the comics with humour to make this feel like part of the drama rather than just a history lesson. For me the best part of this second section has to be when he dons the Spider-Man outfit for the first time, not wanting to sound sad, it did send shivers through out my body as it is just how I imagined it should be. It is actually in this second part where a lot of effort has gone into building up the relationships between all the key people and this really helps you understand not only what motivates Peter but also other key characters, such as Harry Osborne and his father. Whilst those who are familiar with the Spider-man back story may feel a little disappointed that over half the film was given to providing this background, I personally found it really good as it helped me remember things I had forgotten and of course would help anyone who was unaware of the Spider-Man story. It is no surprise after having given us so much back history that a sequel was made and now a third is about to hit our screens, as you get a real sense that they were planning ahead with several elements which were included in this first film.

Having spent over half the film giving us the back history, the film then seems to switch into over drive as we get to the battle between Spider-man and the Green Goblin. What is particularly great about this second half is they keep up with what they had started in the first half and that is putting most of the emphasis on the plot rather than just throwing action and special effects at us at every opportunity. It is no surprise that this second half seems to follow the now tried and tested route where are two main focuses, good and evil, have several minor scrapes before battling it out in a huge climax. Not that I am complaining, as this route although predictable is hugely enjoyable and the final battle is an absolute joy to watch. It is also in this second half where the romantic storyline which had been smouldering in the background gets more screen time. Whilst not your traditional romantic plot, it adds more meaning as well as depth to the story and also paves the way for a scene between Spider-Man and Mary Jane which whilst not explicit or erotic is amazingly sensual in the way it is shot.

Again, it is no surprise that being an action movie that the film is steeped in special effects and whilst some of them look amazing others are spectacularly bad. The scenes later on in the film which see Spider-Man pitied against the Green Goblin are not only brilliantly choreographed action sequences but the use of CGI is seamlessly incorporated without you really noticing when real life becomes pixels. But then if you look at the earlier scenes which see Peter Parker exploring his new found abilities by leaping from building to building they look terribly fake and rather disappointing to be honest. Not that these scenes really spoil the overall entertaining effect of the film but do seem strangely out of place in what otherwise is an exceptionally well crafted movie.

One of the most critical aspects of making "Spider-Man" the great film that it is has to be in the casting and even down to the tiniest parts the director and casting team have done a superb job. Most notably the casting of Tobey Maguire in the role of Peter Parker/ Spider-Man is for me spot on. His early transformation from weedy school geek to toned super hero is surprisingly effective but it is also in Maguire's mannerisms which really make his performance perfect for me. From the pining look in his face when ever he is around Mary Jane, too the joy and bewilderment when he discovers his super powers, everything is spot on. Whilst I was not overly familiar with the character of Mary Jane from the comics, the casting of Kirsten Dunst for me was a great choice and the chemistry between Dunst and Maguire on the screen was a surprising bonus. To be honest I cannot fault a single performance or choice of actor from Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, James Franco as Harry Osborn and even Rosemary Harris as Aunt May, every single one fitted my ideas of the character perfectly and helped bring the film to life. But one actor does deserve a special mention and that is J.K. Simmons as Newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson, whose performance is not only exceptional but also the fact the way he brought the character to life on the big screen was exactly how I imagined it to be and he pretty much steals the show in every scene he appears..

It would be wrong to not mention the sterling work that director Sam Raimi has done in bringing Spider-Man to the big screen. Despite a couple of issues with the special effects everything else he has done with this film is spot on and is truly a pleasure to watch. The thing which stands out the most for me was the brilliant way he managed to include so much back history into the film with out making seem dull and boring. It would have been quite easy to make "Spider-Man" to comical as in the likes of "Batman and Robin" or too serious as in "Batman Begins", but he has found the perfect middle ground providing humour as well as drama in a true comic sense.

►►► Film Summary

Well as you can probably surmise from the above I am a huge fan of this film and whilst it does have a few faults which prevent it from being 100% perfect, for me it is one of the better transfers of a comic book hero to the big screen. The plot behind the film not only introduces the character of Spider-Man to a new generation but also provides a decent action storyline for those who already know it. The smouldering romantic plot between Peter and Mary Jane works brilliantly throughout the entire movie and also gives us one very sensual and memorable scenes. Most importantly, and as you would expect, this film has some brilliant action sequences which whilst being realistic do not really dwell on the violence aspect of the fights making this a more family orientated film, well it has a 12 certificate.

►►► DVD Package

Firstly, as well as featuring 2 discs this DVD package also comes with a slim line booklet which whilst thin on the ground when it comes to information on the film, it does include a wide range of Spider-Man merchandise which you can buy.

► Special Features

Audio Commentary - The first of 2 commentaries comes from Director Sam Raimi, Producer Laura Ziskin, Actress Kirsten Dunst, and co-producer Grant Curtis. Sadly this is not that great and has obviously been chopped about a fair bit in the editing room as it does sound rather disjointed. Whilst there is some good background information this does suffer from long moments of silence which spoils it.

Audio Commentary - The second commentary comes from Special Effects Designer John Dykstra, Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Stokdyk and Director of Animation Anthony LaMolinara. Although this is better than the first commentary and concentrates on the visual aspects of the film it again suffers from moments of silence which spoil it.

Branching Web-I-Sodes - A rather novel way of giving more information, if you activate this Spider-Sense option you get access to little features which pop up during the movie which tell you how things are done. Whilst novel none of these little features really deliver any real in-depth detail as they seem rushed and usually last little more than 60 seconds.

“Weaving the Web” Subtitle Factoids - Yet another novel approach to giving us more information on the film. In this case it is a text commentary which runs whilst watching the film and surprising is very effective at giving plenty of facts on the way the film was made.

Music Videos - Here we get two songs which feature in the film first is “Hero” by Chad Kroeger and featuring Josey Scott “Hero”, the second is “What We’re All About” Music Video by Sum 41. Personally these feel as unnecessary padding and will really only appeal to those who like these songs.

Bibliographies - These are your usual cast and crew bios which again for me feel like padding as more up to date info can be found elsewhere.

Theatrical Trailers - Again more unnecessary padding as they give you the trailer for the film you have just watched.

“Spider-Man: The Mythology of the 21st Century” - This is a look at Spider-Man the comic and has input from creator Stan Lee. Although it doesn’t look at the history of the character it does go into detail how they designed the characters and came up with some of the important storylines.

The Spider-Man Comic Archives - This feature breaks down the history of Spider-Man into chronological order covering several decades and most of the major events in his fictional life.

Conceptual Art and Production Design Gallery - This features 4 separate galleries of stills from conceptual drawings for the look of Spider-Man and other characters in the film.

Gag/Outtake Reel - A nice short feature with all the usual sorts of outtakes featuring messed up lines and in particular Willem Dafoe playing the fool.

Screen Tests - Here we get 4 screen tests for different characters the one which I enjoyed the most was J.K. Simmons who steals the show.

HBO Making of Documentary - This is a made for TV look at Spider-Man and whilst it does look at several elements of how the film came to be it is done in a very glossy, fleeting manner in some ways more of a taster than a real making of feature.

“Spider-Mania”: An E! Entertainment Special - This delivers more of the same and whilst being slightly longer than the HBO feature does not really add anything of any substance to make it any better.

Director / Composer Profiles - Next we have two profiles one on director Sam Raimi and the other on composer Danny Elfman. Here we get footage of the two at work whilst cast and crew sing their praises which instead of making these a useful addition appear to be more like a bit of mutual back slapping.

“The Loves of Peter Parker”/ “Rogues Gallery” - Here we have two features which return to the comic origins where we get information on some of the villains that Spider-Man has encountered as well as some of the women. Whilst I found this interesting it was very much aimed at those who are Spider-Man fanatics.

DVD-ROM Features - Both DVDs are packed with additional features which are only available through your PC, far more than are available on your TV. Probably the best out of all of these is a nifty, but ultimately pointless feature which allows you to record your own commentary for the film.

► Picture and Sound Quality

Generally the picture quality is absolutely superb, with amazing colours and pretty consistent sharpness. Although on a couple of early scenes featuring a mixture of CGI and real life there seems to be uncharacteristic softness, which although is annoying I believe may be deliberate in an attempt to cover up for some of the poor CGI. As Is expected with such a modern film there are no issues with flickers or graininess making this an enjoyable visual experience.

What is quite surprising is that although the audio presentation is of a good quality and uses all the channels, it fails to be really powerful. Whilst the music is perfectly mixed in and sound effects appear around you it just lacks any real oomph.

►►► DVD Summary

Despite being packed with special features the DVD package was a little disappointing. With a fair few of the features appearing as just padding and those with did attempt to give any real information on the making of the film or Spider-Man himself, coming across as a bit too glossy. This DVD is definitely aimed at those who want to be entertained rather than informed.

►►► Price & Availability

Amazon.co.uk: £4.98

►►► Technical Details

Certificate: 12
Duration: 116 mins
Year of Release: 2002
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Thriller

DVD Release: 2002
Subtitles: Dutch, English, Hindi
Audio: English
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Region: 2
Number of Discs: 2

Director(s): Sam Raimi
Writer(s): Stan Lee, Steve Ditko

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Joe Manganiello, Gerry Becker, Bill Nunn

© Christianfilmcritic April 2007 

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